Stonegates retirement home, site of the former Greenville Elementary School, recently celebrated its 25th anniversary.
The Greenville Elementary School held its first open house on Jan. 27, 1953 with Dr. Thomas W. Howie, superintendent of schools, presiding with greetings from Alexis I. duPont Board of Education President Henry B. DuPont and remarks from Gov. J. Caleb Boggs.
By 1982, with the fallout of school district consolidation, the school was for sale. With the support of all the local civic associations, the partnership known as the Greenville Retirement Community, comprised of businessmen Charles Cantera, Pierce Crompton, George Snyder and Alexis Tarumianz, purchased the school to create a retirement community.
Stonegates opened in 1984. Located on 37 acres, Stonegates is a member of the American Public Gardens Association and has unusual plant species that include spring bulbs, tropical summer plantings, fall harvest colors and intriguing bark during the winter.
Another focal point for Stonegates is its dining experience, as Executive Chef John Gangloff joined the culinary team 23 years ago to develop its five star credentials, including a Gourmet Dinner Club.
Just as varied as the studio apartments and three-bedroom cottages is the diversity of the resident population over the past 25 years. They include mothers-in-law of senators, congressmen, superior court judges, bookkeepers, secretaries, salespeople, decorators, chemists and lawyers – including one who served on the Nuremberg trial.
Of its 150 employees, five have been at Stonegates from the beginning.
